CHILDREN’S LITERARY FESTIVAL AT BATTERSEA POWER STATION

CHILDREN’S LITERARY FESTIVAL LAUNCHES AT BATTERSEA POWER STATION THIS HALF TERM

24 January 2018

Caption: Plan a family visit this half term to Battersea Power Station and take part in a whole host of fun literary activities for children as well as exploring the full range of restaurants, bars and shops at Circus West Village

Storystock, the travelling circus of stories, is bringing a programme of family literary fun to Circus West Village, Battersea Power Station, this half term.

From the 12th - 14th February, primary school aged children will be entertained with live-literature shows, immersive workshops, performances and interactive storytelling sessions. The activities will be taking place at The Village Hall, a new community arts and cultural venue at Circus West Village, the first chapter in the regeneration of Battersea Power Station.

Special guest appearances include legendary children’s author and illustrator Judith Kerr, who will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Tiger Who Came To Tea on 13th February with a live story telling performance, followed by a Q&A.

Families can take the time to explore Circus West Village together and enjoy lunch or a drink overlooking The Thames. Parents can also leave their children to be entertained at one of the fantastic workshops and visit one of the many restaurants, take a break with a coffee at The CoffeeWorks Project, go spinning at Boom Cycle, pop into The Battersea General Store or explore the Battersea Power Station Design Store for gifts and homeware.

Restaurants include Italian food from world-renowned chef Francesco Mazzei at Fiume, seafood at Wright Brothers, pizza at Mother and all-day dining at No. 29 Power Station West. Vagabond, an independent wine bar and shop is also open for drinks and snacks.

Battersea Power Station’s pop up space under Grosvenor Arch will also host a bookshop, a free supervised doodle bar for kids, and space for parking prams.

Rob Tincknell, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “Battersea Power Station is a great place for families to visit this half term. Our literary festival in partnership with Storystock is going to feature a fun packed programme of live-literature shows, immersive workshops, performances and interactive storytelling sessions. It is sure to be a great day out for our young visitors and grown-ups alike and a good opportunity to explore the exciting new neighbourhood that’s emerging here.”

Claire Gill, Co-Founder of Storystock said: “We are so excited to be taking Storystock’s circus of stories with angels&urchins magazine to a very special venue this February Half Term. Battersea Power Station will host this year’s first Storystock festival with an amazing line up including favourite children’s authors, literary performances and bookish activities for primary school aged children and their families, including the 50th anniversary celebrations of ‘The Tiger that came to Tea’ with the author and illustrator Judith Kerr, The power of Adventure with Katherine Rundell and Abi Elphinstone, pictures from The Bright Emporium and many more. We can’t wait to inspire and excite more children into literature and reading.”

Highlights of the festival include:

Happy 50th Birthday to the Tiger with Judith Kerr and special guest – 13th February 12pm Judith Kerr, who will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Tiger Who Came To Tea on February will host a live story telling performance, followed by a Q&A.

Storytelling: The Tiger Who Came To Tea – 12th-14th February 11am and 2pm

Settle down to celebrate the wonderful world of Judith Kerr with all your favourite stories: Listen to Mog’s Adventures, find out what happens in The Crocodile Under the Bed and wish a very happy 50th birthday to the Tiger who Came to Tea. A lovely interactive storytelling session for a younger audience, with special character appearances.

The Enormous Crocodile Workshop – 12th February 11.15am. A Play in a morning with Bright Lights Drama is packed with fun, creative games and improvisation all based on the much-loved favourite by Roald Dahl, The Enormous Crocodile.

The Cat in the Hat – 12th -14th February 12pm and 3pm. Join the Storystock storyteller in the multi-coloured mad and marvellous world of Dr Seuss with cats in hats, green eggs and ham & foxes in socks. A lovely interactive storytelling session for a younger audience, with special character appearances.

The Power of Adventure – 12th February 12pm. Winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award 2017 and thrill seeker Katherine Rundell is in conversation with best-selling writer Abi Elphinstone about the power of adventure and exploration in their books. A wonderful opportunity to hear two popular children’s authors in conversation.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark – 12th February at 4pm and 13th and 14th February at 10am. Riverside Performing Arts presents Jill Thomlinson’s classic tale that is an enchanting story about growing up, tackling your fears and becoming your own person. Filled with song, puppetry, dance and laughter, this touching story is beautifully adapted for the stage.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark – Creative Drama Workshop 13th February 2.15pm. Join the team that brought you The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark and explore through improvisation and movement the various themes in the book.

The Secret Garden – a musical storytelling show 12th February 10am and 14th February 2pm. The Music House for Children’s new Spring show inspired by The Secret Garden, a musical story tale with animals, action and adventure for children aged 2-5.

Once upon a Yoga mat – 12th February 10.15am and 2.15pm, 13th & 14th February 10.15am. Have you ever done a sun salutation with a Gruffalo? Once Upon a Yoga Mat is a brand new and entirely immersive way of introducing the practice of Yoga to children. These Yoga-telling sessions take the narrative of much loved stories and incorporate Yoga postures, movements, simple breath awareness and relaxation techniques into the structure of the stories.

Charlie & Lola stories – 12-14th February 1pm and 4pm. Come and join in with this lovely interactive storytelling session as Charlie & Lola take your imagination on a wild ride where the milk is always pink and Soren Lorenson, Lola’s imaginary friend, is up to all sorts of tricks. Perfect for a younger audience. Includes special character visits.

Sophie Henn – a world of illustration – 12th February 2pm. Join Sophie Denn for stories, draw-alongs and plenty of interactive idea swapping.

I Can Draw – 12th and 14th February 3.15pm. I Can Draw with the Bright Emporium’s Illustrators is a workshop that will inspire everyone to take up pencil and paper. With live drawing from the professionals, learn to make stories and pictures come to life in an inspiring and interactive draw-along workshop.

All Write Now – 13th and 14th February 11.15am. All Write Now is a creative workshop with a difference. This workshop is all about putting the imagination first and bringing out the enjoyment of learning.

Dragons, Poetry and Robots from Outer Space with AF Harold – 14th February 12pm. Enjoy this funny performance while joining in with some proper poetry. There might be dragons, there will be robots and lots of chat about space.

For more information and to book tickets visit batterseapowerstation.co.uk/storystock

The Malaysian shareholders of the Battersea Power Station project are committed to giving back to the communities in which they operate. They recognise the importance of creating shared value and this is embedded in all their undertakings to ensure that they contribute to building a harmonious and caring community.